Third front will come to power: Mulayam Singh

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav reiterated on Monday that a third front government would be formed after the 2014 general elections, saying that a leader of one of the alliance partners would become the next Prime Minister.

“Neither the BJP nor the Congress can form the next government. We feel that a third front government should come to power at the centre”, he said.

“I am in touch with Left leaders including Prakash Karat and AB Bardhan on such a Front after the elections”, Yadav said.

“All parties of the proposed alliance will contest polls on their own strength and get together after the election”, he said. “Such a front is unlikely to come into existence before the next Lok Sabha elections. At this stage, differences can crop up among political parties on ticket distribution and seat sharing,” Yadav added.

CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat recently met Yadav to discuss a national convention in defence of secularism in New Delhi. A joint program to fight communal forces is likely to be worked out at the convention.

Samajwadi Party has decided to contest assembly elections in West Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to expand its base outside UP.

“In Madhya Pradesh we are contesting all the seats. In West Bengal, the SP will also emerge as a powerful force”, Yadav asserted.

Meanwhile, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said his party was in talks with the SP, JD (U), JD(S), BJD and other parties to forge a grouping of non-Congress secular forces.

“Discussions are being held with leaders of these parties to safeguard our secular democratic republic from communal forces,” Yechury said.